Frenches of Fancy: 7 French Cars from the 2016 Paris Auto Show We Want in the U.S.

It’s in our nature to be fascinated by foreign cars that aren’t sold in the U.S., but the French car industry is an especially captivating one. It’s not just the fact that these voitures françaises are forbidden fruit that makes it so fun to poke around the Peugeot, Renault, and Citroën stands at the 2016 Paris auto show, either. The French have a certain flair for design (a je ne sais quoi, if you will) not often found on mainstream, relatively affordable cars, as well as a penchant for unconventional and fringe vehicles that venture into downright bizarre territory.

Citroën e-Mehari

The only new vehicle sold in the U.S. that can be easily altered to drive around (legally or otherwise) without doors is the Jeep Wrangler. Citroën’s e-Mehari has doors, so it doesn’t match the Wrangler on that particular point, but the oddball runabout nevertheless hews to the formula as a retro take on the original Mehari, a 2CV-based trucklet that could be had without doors, without a roof, and, well, without much of anything save for an engine and wheels. It’s that stripped-down charm (channeled from the past or otherwise) that gives the e-Mehari its magnetic pull.

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Photos By Alexander Stoklosa

Citroën e-Mehari

As you might have already surmised from the “e” in this Citroën’s name, it is a battery-electric vehicle. A 50-kW electric motor draws power from a 30-kWh lithium-ion pack to deliver a claimed 124 miles of rated range per charge on the optimistic Euro cycle. Neat, but the e-Mehari’s appeal lies in its funky interior and exterior color schemes, plastic bodywork like the original, and a waterproof, hose-out interior. Modern safety regulations dictate the doors and the roll bar—the gasoline-fed Mehari was a plastic tub that, were it to go dirty side up, relied on its passengers for primary rollover protection. It’s funky and fun, and where else but France could you find a topless EV that looks like this?

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Photos By Alexander Stoklosa

Citroën C4 Picasso

Like the works of famed Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, the aptly named Citroën C4 Picasso is a strange and fascinating entry in the European MPV marketplace.

Need proof? Plop yourself onto the C4 Picasso’s driver’s seat. There, you’ll be greeted by an automatic-transmission shift lever that juts out of the top of the steering column like that of a classic Citroën DS. A massive 12.0-inch center-mounted screen serves as the gauge cluster—it’s like a Toyota Prius on steroids in here—and a giant windshield stretches well past the A-pillar to let in a substantial amount of natural light. Helping the driver and front passenger better combat especially strong sunlight are a pair of sun visors that not only flip down in the traditional sense but also move forward to cover the top few inches of the far-reaching windshield.

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Photos By Alexander Stoklosa

Citroën C4 Picasso

Not offbeat enough for you? Then move over to the front passenger seat, which can be equipped with an electric footrest for the full La-Z-Boy lounging experience. Back-seat passengers, on the other hand, are treated to a number of storage nooks and can have access to a pair of available folding tray tables. Mounted to the back of the driver and passenger seats, the tray tables include a cupholder cutout and an LED reading light for a jetliner vibe.

Approximately the same size as a Ford C-Max, the five-passenger C4 Picasso—as well as the 6.5-inch-longer, seven-passenger Grand C4 Picasso—is a vessel of funky French kitsch we wish were sold on our shores. Vive la France!

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Photos By Alexander Stoklosa

Citroën C3

The C3 previously took the form of a rounded, semicircle-crazy MPV, but the newest model, making its auto-show debut in Paris, takes a hard turn toward the square. Specifically, it emulates the larger C4 Cactus, although Citroën has not yet gifted it with a spiny desert-fauna-inspired name. May we suggest, um, the C3 Shrubbery?

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Photos By Alexander Stoklosa

Citroën C3

Oddly, Citroën sells multiple uniquely styled versions of the C4, and only the Cactus model wears the funky-blocky style shared with the C3. Considering that the other, non-Cactus C4s are crushingly normal (by French standards) four-door hatchbacks and taller wagons, we’re glad the company went Cactus-y for the C3, because it means our favorite C4 Cactus features have landed on yet another car.

Where else will you see the C3’s signature Air Bump air-filled door guards, multi-element headlight/running-light treatment up front, and natty interior? The Citroën has a not-for-our-world attraction that’s as strong as our ongoing longing for the Cactus. Citroën is mulling a U.S.-market comeback, though, meaning our pangs of desire for this bizarre urban runabout could someday be satiated, perhaps via DS badging.

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Photos By Alexander Stoklosa

DS 5

Despite its sleek and stylish exterior design, the DS 5 is a testament to French weirdness. Hell, this is a car that’s available with a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain, which, thanks to a rear-mounted electric motor, also offers all-wheel drive. So, yeah, it’s weird.

Yet even without its hybrid powertrain, the 5—made by the Citroën luxury sub-brand—sports a funkadelic French flavor. For example, a three-panel glass roof puts a giant pane over the heads of rear-seat passengers, as well as a pair of individual glass panels over the noggins of the driver and front passenger. Separating the two front panels are a row of toggle switches and a pair of built-in sunglasses holders. Similar toggle switches also can be found on the center console for controlling basic functions, like the car’s power windows.

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Photos By Alexander Stoklosa

DS 5

Did we mention the DS 5 is a hatchback, too? While most of the DS 5’s luxury-car competitors are offered in both sedan and wagon body styles, the DS 5 wears a Honda CRX–like split-glass hatchback.

If that’s not enough, though, the DS 5 is also being displayed in a one-of-a-kind Commande Spéciale edition at the Paris auto show. The bespoke car is dressed up in unique paintwork, a special finish to its leather interior, a 3-D printed gearshift knob made of titanium, and a distinct green hue to the velour in the car’s covered storage compartments, as well as on its floor mats. In short, if the DS 5 isn’t funky French enough for you as is, the luxury brand will happily help you make it even funkier and Frenchier.

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Photos By Alexander Stoklosa

Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport

When is a GTi not a GTI? When it’s a Peugeot, of course, as les Français have been building GTI-badged hot hatches for nearly as long as Volkswagen has. The legendary 205 GTI that arrived in 1984 was the first example of the breed for Peugeot, and the subsequent 206 GTI and 207 GTI models have now led to today’s version, the 208 GTi—note the switch to a lowercase “i.”

Based on the mainstream 208 hatchback, the GTi follows a familiar recipe, packing plenty of extra power along with a sharper chassis and a few aggressive-looking exterior upgrades. Its 1.6-liter turbocharged engine is the same powerplant installed in the last-generation Mini Cooper S, here making 205 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque.

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Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport

The Peugeot Sport–fettled version pictured here comes standard with all the good stuff, including a Torsen limited-slip differential, 18-inch wheels, special sport seats, and Brembo brake calipers. The sporty-looking two-tone red and matte black works for us, too; that sudden change in color is an optional design element called a coupe franche, meaning “jump cut” in Peugeot’s native tongue.

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Photos By Alexander Stoklosa

Renault Twingo GT

Before you dismiss this petite Renault’s 108 horsepower and 125 lb-ft of torque, remember that the Twingo is a diminutive city car that shares its rear-engine platform with the Smart Fortwo and Forfour. That means it should have decent get-up-and-go for a little guy.

For the GT, Renault Sport tinkered with the three-pot’s air intake and engine mapping to extract the extra 19 horsepower compared with the standard Twingo, and also changed the gearing of the five-speed manual transmission for zippier acceleration. The chassis also has been tweaked with revised suspension and steering tuning, along with new calibration for the stability control. And the Twingo’s rear-wheel-drive setup should make for plenty of good old-fashioned fun.

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Photos By Alexander Stoklosa

Renault Twingo GT

“Fun” also applies to the Twingo GT’s cheeky styling, which incorporates a lower ride height, larger wheels, a few extra stripes and graphics, and a new orange color called Piment (which means “hot pepper”). We won’t hold out hope for Renault to return to the States, but maybe Smart can find the will to install this zestier engine in the Fortwo.

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Photos By Alexander Stoklosa

Renault Twizy

Is the tiny electric Twizy new? Hardly, but it’s still one of our favorite French cars. Assuming you consider the Twizy a car and not, um, a sophisticated golf cart.

Renault Twizy

The Twizy wows with clever features such as its Lamborghini-style doors, a tandem rear seat (yes, there’s another seat back there!), and wholly adequate 31-to-50-mile driving range (would you take it farther?). The electric motor puts out a smoking 5 kilowatts of power, and the Renault’s top speed is a blazing 28 mph. Dorky? Sure, but then the Twizy starts at only €7340 in France. That’s $8220 at current exchange rates. Or maybe that’s too much money. Either way, we want a crack at one of these stateside.